This invention relates generally to the field of check-out counters for supermarkets and the like, and more particularly to an improved form thereof adapted to expedite the flow of customers and merchandise through retail establishments in which they are installed.
In my above mentioned copending application, there is disclosed a check-out counter in which means is incorporated on the customer side of the counter, accessible from the aisle for serially dispensing bags, and positioning them in a recess in the counter so that, after checking, a customer who is so inclined, may assist the cashier in bagging tallied items, thereby expediting the flow of traffic by providing the cashier with bagging assistance. While not without utility, this structure only partially solves the traffic flow problem. Customers generally unload the carts at the check-out counters, since when positioned at the leading end of the counter, they are inaccessible to the cashier who normally stands in a bay adjacent the cash register or scanner mechanism located downstream. The aisle through which the cart is pushed is normally just sufficiently wide to accommodate the cart. It follows that there is no way of pushing the cart into the aisle and removing items from the rear of the cart in easy fashion, since such operation is inhibited by the height of the cart handle. The customer must engage in the difficult, time-consuming effort of getting positioned in front of a full cart and pulling the cart into the check-out aisle. It is virtually impossible for the customer to be positioned at the side of the cart and to unload items from such a position, since the aisle is, as has been mentioned, only a few inches wider than the width of the cart itself. The only alternative under such circumstances is for the customer to position the cart in front of the counter, outside the check-out aisle while unloading the cart. This solution not only elongates the line of customers waiting to be checked out, but also obstructs the flow of traffic created by other customers who have not completed their shopping.